Will ET Be Here Soon? NASA Brings Scientists, Theologians Together To Prepare...

Prepare the humanity. Prepare the world-wide public opinion. Prepare for an imminent discovery or contact? It's an hard work after decades of lies, secrecy, ridicule and...murderers to hide the truth. Maybe this Symposium will not lead to an immediate Disclosure, but surely the media world-wide should take into account more carefully the Alien/Extraterrestrial Issue. Probably, in the next few months or years we will have a different approach this serious issue. Has NASA began the long journey towards the truth? Who knows, but Beware: There are powerful enemies at the gate ...

www.huffingtonpost.com...

A few days ago, NASA tried closing the gap between life on Earth and the possibilities of life elsewhere. The space agency and the Library of Congress brought together scientists, historians, philosophers and theologians from around the world for a two-day symposium, "Preparing For Discovery." Their agenda: To explore how we prepare for the inevitable discovery of extraterrestrial life, be it simple microbial organisms or intelligent beings.

... There has to be freedom to do science. Being a good scientist means admitting we never have the whole truth -- there's always more to learn." Consolmagno also doesn't think the public would panic when or if it's revealed that alien life has been found.

"I really think it would be a three-day wonder and then we'd go back to worrying about reality TV or the crazy things going on in Washington -- that's the way human beings are. Because I think most people are like me: we expect it's out there. And our reaction would be, 'Wow, thank heavens. It's about time."

www.loc.gov...

Astrobiology has revealed new discoveries about our world and the solar system. Living organisms thrive in harsher environments on Earth than we ever previously imagined. Microbial biodiversity and extremophile life are now known to be ubiquitous and abundant. Beyond Earth, science has identified more than 1,400 exoplanets. That life thrives in multifarious conditions, coupled with these potentially habitable exoplanets and the detection of life-giving elements on numerous moons on asteroids, means we must face the possibility that simple or complex organisms may be discovered beyond Earth. How might we prepare for such a discovery? Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology Steven J. Dick convenes scientists, historians, philosophers and theologians from around the world for a two-day symposium at the Library of Congress to explore how we prepare to face new knowledge that may challenge our very conceptions of life and our place in the universe.

P.S. Sounds like the plot of my novel that takes place.
Amazing ...

I don't really understand why so many are worried that everyone is going to freak out if life is discovered on other planets.
Am I missing something? What's the big deal?

a reply to: skunkape23

They constantly refer to the panic from Orson Welles' recording of War of the Worlds back in the 1930's. It was a radio play told like it was happening live, and alot of people panicked, riots ensued. It was a simpler time; people usually didnt get news from other states for a few weeks , stuff from other countries longer. Even with today's rapid and instant communication, TPTB think we will have the SAME reaction.
I dont think so. Today we are more prepared to deal with ET. We watch movies, television shows, read books daily about First Contact. I think the thing that will possibly happen is people would stay home and watch it on the news then twitter or facebook it to their friends. I dont see any social collapse coming from First Contact.

I don't need NASA to convince me Aliens may one day show up. I know they have been here for thousands of years.

originally posted by: skunkape23
I don't really understand why so many are worried that everyone is going to freak out if life is discovered on other planets.
Am I missing something? What's the big deal?

I would like to think people could handle it, but we do live in a world where people believe you can charge an iPhone in a microwave.

Just as the previous posters have said...I think the concern over the public "freaking out" is over blown...
We've been acclimated to the idea & I think while there are some who would inevitably "loose it" I don't think we'd have riots in the street anywhere unless we're under attack...which is a whole other conversation.

If they know something, they should stop treating us like babies & break the news.
We've been inundated with the concept since the 1950s...I think most of us would take it in stride.

a reply to: skunkape23

Because so many still think we're center of the universe, and that we're unique and made by their religious God e.t.c.

So many religions interfering with science, it's polluted peoples logical thought process imo.

a reply to: Arken

As far as I'm aware most people already believe there is life somewhere out there. Disclosure would just be like a "I knew it" moment for most people.

Unless a space ship appeared over London and started zapping people I don't think the discover of life on another planet would freak anyone out.

Hell if they invaded I'd probably freak out. At least until I go all Will Smith on their ass for shooting that green sh!t at me!

a reply to: Arken

I would have loved to have known about the conference beforehand - could have learned a lot about where humanity is at psychologically.

Idk what the posters before me are thinking, maybe they assume we know everything that we could possibly know about aliens and that they wouldn't pose a threat to us, or us to them? But what if we/they did? And what if it wasn't just physical threats but psychological, as well?

What if the threats weren't as black and white as a virus to a carrier, or a common predator and prey relationship, but more veiled like the sociopathic elite are to the slave classes?

Or what if aliens are dicks and trolling people gets them high, and so once they have landed they refuse to leave because they love to trollolol, and we are physically incapiable of forcing them to leave and/or leave us alone? How could we trick them into leaving?

Or what if they are devout spiritualist, having a higher intelligence and sense of morality than we do, and as such, they refuse to harm any living thing, and maybe they have synthesized everything a human could possibly want, but they, for claimed moral reasons, refuse to trade with us? Do we take their stuff anyways?

What if they are beautifully peaceful, yet are naive enough to want to live amongst us? Should we run them off to save them from us?

...I could think of thousands of questions I could have asked those guys.

originally posted by: Bleeeeep
a reply to: Arken

I would have loved to have known about the conference beforehand - could have learned a lot about where humanity is at psychologically.

I posted about it here months ago I think.

Idk what the posters before me are thinking, maybe they assume we know everything that we could possibly know about aliens and that they wouldn't pose a threat to us, or us to them? But what if we/they did? And what if it wasn't just physical threats but psychological, as well?

It is very unlikely that we and they would be anywhere near the same level where either would view the other as a threat due to the differences in the age of the star system are from. Most stars are older than our sun, often by as little as 500 million years to several billion.

Imagine what a civilization a million years more advanced than us would be like. It's very hard. Now think in terms of a billion. It's hard enough just thinking about what we will be like 5,000 years from now in the year 7014.

The best analogy is we would be like ants to a civilization a million years or more older than us.

Do ants pose a threat to us? Not really. Do we pose a threat to the ants? Only when small groups of them become a nuisance and invade our space but we are no where near being able to do that to them and may never be able to. The distances between the stars are vast.

What if the threats weren't as black and white as a virus to a carrier, or a common predator and prey relationship, but more veiled like the sociopathic elite are to the slave classes?

Or what if aliens are dicks and trolling people gets them high, and so once they have landed they refuse to leave because they love to trollolol, and we are physically incapiable of forcing them to leave and/or leave us alone? How could we trick them into leaving?

Most of this stuff you are worried about is because you are anthropomorphizing a species that is alien to having human qualities.

Or what if they are devout spiritualist, having a higher intelligence and sense of morality than we do, and as such, they refuse to harm any living thing, and maybe they have synthesized everything a human could possibly want, but they, for claimed moral reasons, refuse to trade with us? Do we take their stuff anyways?

It's highly likely that an advanced civilization could have synthesized everything they could possibly want or need. The idea of "trade" between a species a million years beyond us technologically is kinda silly. We'd have nothing they couldn't produce or get elsewhere.

What if they are beautifully peaceful, yet are naive enough to want to live amongst us? Should we run them off to save them from us?

...I could think of thousands of questions I could have asked those guys.

This conference was not about aliens landing on Earth. It was about how we as a planet will deal with the news that we're not alone due to remote observations either through detecting biosignatures (gases that may signify life on a distant planet around another star) or technosignatures (the detection of alien technology through various forms of SETI (infrared, radio, laser, etc).

The reason for this and the now frequent meetings between astrobiologists and exoplanet hunters and the US Congress is because we're probably less than 30 years away from "First Contact" due to the rapid pace at which our telescopes and other relevant technology is developing.

If anyone is out there and relatively nearby, the whole world will know within many of our lifetimes.

originally posted by: Arken
Prepare the humanity. Prepare the world-wide public opinion. Prepare for an imminent discovery or contact?

The answer to the question in your title is: "No probably not, ET will not be here soon but we may soon find evidence of ET around nearby planetary systems."

This is conference is not about UFOs and Alien landings but the very real possibility that some group of astronomers will detect the first signs of life or intelligence due to advances in our ability to look and listen for them.

a reply to: JadeStar

“Equating Culture, Civilization, and Moral Development in Imagining ETI: Anthropocentric Assumptions?” – John Traphagan, University of Texas at Austin

This paper considers ways in which anthropomorphized notions of culture, civilization, and morality have influenced and generated assumptions about what a non-human intelligence would be like, how communication with that intelligence might occur, and how culturally bounded notions of progress and development have shaped the imaginations of scientists and others when thinking about the moral nature of ETI.

“Communicating with the Other” – Douglas Vakoch, SETI Institute

If the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) detects an artificial signal from a distant civilization, our next challenge will be to understand any encoded message, and to decide what we may want to transmit in reply. Thus far, the few intentional messages humans have sent into space reflect the assumption that mathematics and science are universal. How accurate is this Platonic notion that our math and physics tap into universal principles? Even if we and they have commensurable scientific and mathematical concepts, how can we make sure they will recognize which concepts we are referring to?

Discussion + Q&A

I was thinking further into that portion -- into contact scenarios, because that, I think, is the most prolific portion in understanding what our train of thought should be. (If we are not in contact then it can be left to speculation and all will be fine.)

I think that the only ETI that we would worry, or need to worry about, would be like us, in that they have reached an intelligence great enough to control their environment. Once said control is obtained, it seems reasonable to think that the evolution would/could plateau around the fields of abtract / spiritual expressionism, and so to understand what to do, we need to understand ourselves, morally.

If we want to break it down to such levels that all we are addressing is what to tell the people in order to keep them from freaking out, then that is easy: you just tell them what they want to hear...

"This is your leader speaking: Dear fellow citizens, on this monumental day, our God has blessed us with the revelation of life outside Earth; our wonderful little spot in this great big universe of ours. And should it be the will of our God, one day, maybe we might meet with our universal neighbors, and together, share our hopes and dreams with them. And now for a word from our sponsors: Watch the all new fall line-up this tuesday on PBS."

a reply to: skunkape23

The big deal is for all the religious nuts. The rest of us will take it in our stride.

The fact that theologians are included is interesting, though does not surprise me. What the # have NASA and theology got to do with each other? Did NASA consult theologians when they decided to send out the Mars rover or the Voyagers?

Rev 16:13 Then I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs. They were coming out of the mouth of the dragon, the mouth of the beast, and the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev 16:14 They are the spirits of demons that perform miracles. These three spirits go out to all the kings of the world, to bring them together for the battle on the great Day of Almighty God.
Rev 16:16 Then the spirits brought the kings together in the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

a reply to: Arken

Greeting and Salutations from a star cluster kinda like Yours...

The real pisser will be when they find out "He" is a "She"...

originally posted by: JadeStar

originally posted by: Bleeeeep
a reply to: Arken

It's highly likely that an advanced civilization could have synthesized everything they could possibly want or need. The idea of "trade" between a species a million years beyond us technologically is kinda silly. We'd have nothing they couldn't produce or get elsewhere.

Well we do have misery they can help us with. How would it look on your resume if you saved an entire planet from the Dark Ages, which is what I expect a million years' old civilization would think of our situation.

originally posted by: Silicis n Volvo
a reply to: Arken

As far as I'm aware most people already believe there is life somewhere out there. Disclosure would just be like a "I knew it" moment for most people.

Unless a space ship appeared over London and started zapping people I don't think the discover of life on another planet would freak anyone out.

Hell if they invaded I'd probably freak out. At least until I go all Will Smith on their ass for shooting that green sh!t at me!

Don't worry.
If they had wanted to they would have wiped out a long time ago.
The real fear may be the contact with not one but several and different civilizations that visit us for a very long time.
This could erase in one fell swoop all our certainties, our economy and what each of us believe in religion.
That's why NASA has convened the symposium theologians and philosophers, and not military ....

a reply to: Cinrad

The fact that theologians are included is interesting, though does not surprise me. What the # have NASA and theology got to do with each other? Did NASA consult theologians when they decided to send out the Mars rover or the Voyagers?

Maybe because they need to prepare the masses.

Once intelligent alien life makes itself unquestionably known to the world, the world will change in the flick of a switch. For one, the suicide rate would rocket over night due to fear. People would then disregard the people in the higher echelons of society, knowing there is an even higher master/masters.

If the alien life is a belligerent entity, then we would stick together. If the aliens are wished to be welcome, then goodbye society as no doubt the alien life would show us and give us experiences that we can't even begin to imagine.

originally posted by: HomerinNC
a reply to: skunkape23

They constantly refer to the panic from Orson Welles' recording of War of the Worlds back in the 1930's. It was a radio play told like it was happening live, and alot of people panicked, riots ensued. It was a simpler time; people usually didnt get news from other states for a few weeks , stuff from other countries longer. Even with today's rapid and instant communication, TPTB think we will have the SAME reaction.
I dont think so. Today we are more prepared to deal with ET. We watch movies, television shows, read books daily about First Contact. I think the thing that will possibly happen is people would stay home and watch it on the news then twitter or facebook it to their friends. I dont see any social collapse coming from First Contact.

Actually, people listening to the broadcast didn't start to panic until the point in the show where the "aliens" started to attack. And interestingly enough, the time the show started was at the same time as a very popular radio show called Chase and Sanborn Show, which ran 15 minutes. Many people had listened to that show, then when they switched over, they changed channels to CBS. It was at that point of Welles broadcast that the "Aliens" were attacking and invading.

Interestingly too is: a lot of people thought it was the Germans invading! Not aliens. Research into the aftermath of the show found that a large amount of people who tuned into the show late, actually thought the "invasion" was Germans due to the signing of the Munich Pact (the show aired Oct. 31st, 1938, and tensions were high in Europe).